Spicy Miso Pasta

Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 slices of bacon, diced
• 1/2 green capsicum, diced
• 1/2 cup mushroom, sliced
• 3 tbsp chili garlic sauce
• 2 tbsp light miso
• 3 eggs
• 1 pack spaghetti (4 serves)
• 1 1/4 cups Parmesan
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• green onions

Method

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Heat oil over medium heat in a pan, then add bacon and cook until crisp. Add in capsicum and mushroom until the mushroom is wilted. Remove from heat.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the chilli garlic sauce, miso, and 2 tbsp of hot water from the boiling pot until smooth, then beat in the eggs. Cook the pasta according to instruction until al dente, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
3. Add the pasta to the pan with the bacon and toss to combine. Heat over medium heat until everything's warmed up. Add the egg mixture, reducing heat to low, and quickly toss until the eggs coat the pasta, but aren't scrambled. Add the cheese, pepper and pasta water as desired until the sauce reaches desired flavour and consistency. Add green onions and parmesan on top to serve.

Recipe from: https://cravingsbychrissyteigen.com/cravings/spicy-miso-spaghetti/

Lo Bak Go

Time: 2hrs

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

3 (80g) Lap Cheung, diced

1 cup chicken stock

750g daikon (pre-peeled weight)

 130g rice flour

1Tbsp corn starch

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground white pepper

2 Tbsp oil

Method:

1. Peel daikon and shred using the food processor

2. In a large pan, add Lap Cheung and cook over medium-low heat to render out fat. Keep cooking until the sausage pieces are browned slightly. Remove from wok.

3. Add daikon to the pan and toss it over medium high heat until wilted slightly. Add chicken stock and toss around until wilted. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until fully cooked and soft. Turn heat off.

4. Drain cooked daikon through a mesh sieve, pushing out as much liquid as possible, saving the liquid. Put drained daikon back into the pan, off heat.

5. Measure 1 cup of daikon liquid and let cool until warm.

6. Add Lap Cheung into the daikon, along with sugar, salt, pepper, and oil. Toss to mix well.

7. Once daikon liquid is warm, whisk in rice flour and corn starch until there are no more lumps. Add flour slurry into the daikon mixture and toss to mix well.

8. Turn heat on medium heat and keep tossing, scraping the bottom until mixture is thickened into a paste. Remove from heat.

9. Grease your dishpan with oil, add daikon mixture to the pan and even out the surface

10. Steam the cake for 1 hour over boiling water, making sure there is enough water in the steamer to last the hour. Cover the dishpan with an aluminium foil to stop condensation from dripping into the cake. 

11. If a toothpick comes out translucent, it is done. 

12. Let cool for 30 minutes before taking it out. Fry to serve.

Recipe from: https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/turnip-cake/

Japanese Cheesecake

Time: 2 hours

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 125g cream cheese
• 40ml canola oil
• 25g white sugar
• 60ml milk
• 3 eggs (separated yolk and whites)
• 30g sifted corn flour/starch
• 20ml lemon juice
• 50g white sugar

Method

1. Add hot water into a pot on low heat. Put a bowl on top as a double boiler. Melt and whisk the cream cheese along with oil and sugar in the bowl. When it is almost combined, remove the bowl from heat. 
2. Add milk and continue mixing until smooth. 
3. Whisk in egg yolks one at a time. 
4. Add corn starch and whisk until combined. Then add lemon juice.
5. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed. When it is very foamy, add 50g white sugar and whisk until firm peaks. 
6. Preheat oven to 150C. 
7. Add 1/3 of the meringue mixture into the cheese mixture. Gently folding until combine. Repeat until there is no meringue mix left.
8. Line 18cm circle baking tin with aluminium foil, then line it again with baking paper. Making sure there are as little creases as possible.
9. Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin.
10. Using a water bath method, add a small layer of water into a bigger pan, place the cake tine into the pan and carefully fill up the outer pan with water until it is around up to 3/4 of the cake tin. 
11. Carefully place the pan into the oven and bake for 80 minutes.
12. Serve with icing sugar or strawberries or just as! 

Note: Next time try to find a way so it does not deflate, could be the water getting into the pan this time. 

Recipe from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xxM3xWp-uQ&list=PLXxeZ9tDx0sDgteMoXsmAySF2XSh7GeZC&index=19&t=0s

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

Time: 20 mins (+ at least 2 hours for marinating)

Serves: 2 (as a main) - 4 (as a side)

Ingredients

Marinate:

• 1 small cube fermented bean curd
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp shaoxing wine
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 500g boneless skinless chicken thighs, bite size cubes

Frying:

• Frying oil, at least a 750ml bottle
• 3/4 cup sweet potato flour
• 1 punnet thai basil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sichuan pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika or cayenne pepper

Method

1. Smoosh fermented bean curd in a large mixing bowl with a spoon/spatula. Add oyster sauce, shaoxing wine, white pepper and garlic, and mix together. Add the chicken and mix well. Cover and marinate for 2 hours to overnight.
2. Heat frying oil to 180C.
3. Add sweet potato flour and coat the marinated chicken evenly.
4. Drop chicken one by one in the oil in batches so it doesn't overcrowd. Fry for 4 minutes. When it is done cooking, remove from oil and place on a baking pan lined with cooling rack. Repeat with remaining chickens. 
5. Increase oil temperature to 190C.
6. Mix salt, Sichuan pepper, white pepper, and paprika/cayenne in a small mixing bowl. 
7. Add half batch of fried chicken and fry for 30 seconds. Have a lid in one hand and basil in the other, add it into the oil and immediately close the lid. Remove lid after 5 seconds and remove chicken and basil. Repeat with the remaining batch. 
8. Sprinkle the salt mixture on top and serve immediately.

Recipe from: https://seonkyounglongest.com/taiwanese-fried-chicken/

update: made this with chicken breast and it was just too dry, stick to chicken thigh!

IKEA meatballs & gravy

Serves 6

Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

Meatballs:

• 500g beef mince
• 250g pork mince
• 1 onion finely chopped (chop in the chopped thing)
• 1 clove of garlic, minced/chopped
• 100g breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• Salt & Pepper

Gravy:

• 40g butter
• 40g plain flour
• 300ml stock (beef/chicken/veggie)
• 150ml thick double cream 
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp dijon mustard

Mashed Potato:

• Potatoes, peeled (2 for each person)
• butter
• milk
• Salt & Pepper

Method

1. Put peeled potato in a pot of boiled water. Let it boil on low heat.
2. Combine beef and pork mince and mix with your fingers to break up any lumps. Add finely chopped onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, eggs, and salt and pepper and mix. 
3. Shape mixture into small, round balls, around the size of ping pong - golf ball. Place on a clean plate and cover. Leave it in the fridge for 2 hours so it holds it's shape, if time allows.
4. Preheat oven to 180C degrees.
5. Heat oil on medium heat in a frying pan. Gently add meatballs until it is browned on all sides.
6. Place the browned meatballs in an oven save dish and cover with aluminium foil. Cook in oven for 30 minutes. Along with other veggies you want roasted on the side.
7. Melt 40g butter in a pan. Whisk in the flour and stir for 2 minutes. Add the stock and continue to stir. Add cream, soy sauce, and dijon, stirring until combined. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow it to thicken.
8. Test potatoes with a fork to see if it's tender. If it is, start mashing, adding in butter, milk, and salt & pepper to taste. Tasting as you keep mashing until smooth.
9. Serve altogether!

recipe from: https://twitter.com/IKEAUK/status/1252269467515617280